Throw On Your Dress And Put On Your Doll Faces
by FireySpiritWiltedQuill
Summary: Mei Lee is the middle child of the Lee siblings. Her older brother Komui is just as overbearing and protective of her as he is the youngest. Lenalee has grown far too quickly and Mei can't help but worry about her. She tries to live out her days as an exorcist, doing whatever she can to protect her family and the lives of those unaware of the monsters hiding in the darkness.


It was a beautiful spring morning in the French Countryside, blue skies dotted with clouds adding a serenity to the already peaceful scenery. General Tiedoll smiled to himself as he sketched the view before him, his hair unruly as per usual.

"General… Do we really have time for this?"

"Mei, you need to learn to sit back and enjoy the fruits of the earth from time to time. Besides, we don't know when the next time we'll be through here is and I'd love to be able to remember this peace." He said with a nonchalant tone causing Mei's brow to twitch out of annoyance.

"Sir… We're supposed to rendezvous with General Yaeger by tomorrow." She said running a hand through her knee length blue black hair. "At this rate we'll never make it on time."

"Hehehe, even after all our time together training and you still haven't learned much in the way of patience." Tiedoll teased as he finished putting the last details into his sketch. Mei wanted to say something but ended up huffing and looking away from the man, her hands coming to rest on her hips.

"Whatever."

"Have you heard from Daisya lately? Or Kanda?" Tiedoll asked trying to change the subject.

"Unfortunately, I ran into Kanda the last time you had me run to HQ for you." Mei explained, the distaste rolling off her tongue like waves on a beach. "But Daisya… Last I heard he's been taking missions constantly, he's never at HQ when I am."

"That's a shame." The older man sighed before packing his stuff up. "Oh well, nothing to be done about it I suppose. I'm done so we should go. We don't want to be late."

"Really!? I've been telling you that for the last two hours!" Mei cried gripping her head in frustration. "I swear you were put on this earth to test what little sanity I have left!"

"You make me sound like such a bad guy when you say things like that." Tiedoll said tilting his head down as he trudged along the dusty path winding between hills and fields. Mei hung her head in defeat and followed along behind him. She knew there was no point in trying to argue with him further. Especially since 13 years of it had gotten her nowhere.

"So… Where were we meeting General Yaeger again?" Tiedoll asked after a few minutes of silence.

"We're meeting the General in Sainte Eulalie de Cernon. It's at least a day's travel." Mei explained, her hands jammed in her pockets. "And we need to be there by tonight."

"Well, that is troublesome."

"You're the reason we're late!" Mei snapped from between clenched teeth. Before she could say much else, her golem flew from her pocket and began ringing beside her ear.

"You'd better answer that. It could be important."

"I am sir…" Mei said trying to keep from losing her temper further. "Mei Lee here."

" _Mei, it's Reever back at HQ."_

"Whatever Komui has done I am not cleaning it up." Mei said instinctively.

" _Your brother hasn't done anything… yet."_ Reever said with an audible sigh. " _He does want you to come back to HQ though."_

"And did he give you a reason why?" Mei asked. "Other than his usual spiel about some stranger whisking me away to get married?"

" _That was on the list but not the only reason. A lot of innocence has been appearing lately and we're a bit shorthanded in the exorcist department."_

"I'm out with General Tiedol on our way to meet with Genera-"

"Reever, she will be there as soon as humanly possible." Tiedol cut in placing a hand on Mei's shoulder. "We're not too far from a train station."

" _Thanks General. Sorry if this inconveniences you at all."_ Reever replied.

"Not at all. If you need the help I know Mei will be more than happy to help." Tiedol said before hearing the other end disconnect. The golem fluttered a little bit before returning to Mei's pocket.

"Sir, no offense but I'm supposed to be escorting you-"

"Now Mei, I'm truly grateful for your help but as exorcists we go where we are needed. And you are needed at the Headquarters." Tiedoll said.

"You just don't want me around to lecture you, do you?" Mei asked with a knowing smirk.

"What!? Why would you think that? I enjoy your company, and it's going to be dull traveling alone." He said looking a bit depressed at the idea of her leaving. Mei stared at him before chuckling and shaking her head.

"Just promise to stay out of trouble old man." She teased. "If you run into trouble don't be afraid to call."

"I'm the general here, shouldn't I be telling you that?" Tiedol laughed before pausing. "You said you grew up in Beijing right?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?" She asked looking confused. The confusion only spread when he pulled out his sketchbook and began working on something.

"It's been awhile since I've been to Beijing, but if I remember right… This… and… There…" He muttered to himself before smiling and tearing the page out, holding it out to his student. "I like to give all my students a parting gift."

Mei took the paper and stared in awe. Somehow he'd managed to draw a perfect image of the view of Beijing from atop one of the mountains, and all from memory. Biting back a couple of tears, she smiled up at Tiedol.

"Thank you sir. This means a lot to me."

"Of course. Be safe. You'd better hurry. You're going to be late." Tiedoll said with a chuckle. Mei paused before crying out and sprinting back down the road they'd come from. The drawing was clutched tight in her right hand, her left waving goodbye to him before disappearing over the hill. Once she was gone, Teidoll chuckled to himself and began a leisurely stroll towards his next destination.

"I do hope she and Kanda will get along alright... "

"Ha… ha… ha… I can't… Believe… I made it…" Mei was collapsed on all fours, her hair windblown and exhaustion pouring from her very being.

"Um… miss?" The conductor asked, shock gracing his features as he stared at the woman that had jumped aboard the train after it'd left the station. "D-Do you have a ticket?"

Mei looked up and smiled before holding up her exorcist cross.

"I don't have one. Sorry about that, I'm actually with the Black Order." She explained, sitting back so she was kneeling rather than doubled over.

"Oh! Of course." The man said taking her bag which she'd thrown to the ground beside her when she got on the train. "Right this way miss."

"Thank you." Mei pushed herself up and followed along behind him, ignoring the odd looks being shot her way. It wasn't uncommon for Exorcists to draw the attention of onlookers, after all, they were part of the secret Black Order. Those who did see them never knew exactly who they were and either grew curious or shunned them as freaks.

"Here you are ma'am, if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." The steward said opening the door to a vacant compartment.

"Thanks. I should be fine though. I just need some rest." Mei said with a kind smile. "How long until we reach London?"

"About 3 hours ma'am."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything." Mei said nodding to the gentleman before siting down and placing her travel pack on the seat beside her. Once the door was closed and she was alone, the Chinese woman took the sketch Tiedoll had given her from the bag and stared longingly at it.

It had been many years since she has seen Beijing, and yet Mei could almost smell the street vendors, hear the chatter of the people and the ringing of the bells from the temples, feel the breeze along the streets and through the trees. While lost in thought, her mind trailed off.

" _Shut up Komui! You can't tell me what to do like that!"_

" _Mei, please! You don't even know if these strangers are telling the truth! They might be human traffickers for all we know!"_

" _If I can do something with my life and help others I'm going to take that chance! I'm going!"_

" _Mei!"_

"Madam Exorcist?"

Mei started awake, panting lightly and the drawing clutched in her hand.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am. I came to inform you we're pulling in to London now." The steward said. Mei looked out the window, surprised she'd slept the whole way.

"Thanks, sorry for startling you." She said. She carefully folded the sketch up and tucked it into her bag before picking it up and making her way to the nearest door.

The train rattled and screeched to a stop, jostling the passengers a bit before stopping completely. As soon as the doors opened, Mei stepped off and made a beeline for the exit from the station. She wasn't a big fan of crowds, it was far too easy to get jumped or be caught off guard.

With each step, she watched. Every passing face, every shifting shadow. She didn't pay much attention where she was going, rather to everything surrounding her.

So much so that a hand on ehr shoulder caused the woman to panic. Out of instinct, Mei's hand wrapped around the wrist of the person and flipped them onto the ground over her shoulder. It wasn't until she focussed that she realized just who had grabbed her.

"Ah! R-Reever! I'm sorry!" She cried, eyes wide as she stared at the winded and confused blond scientist lying on the ground. "A-Are you okay!?"

"Yeah… Fine…" Reever groaned. Once he managed to catch his breath, the man pushed himself to his feet, accepting Mei's hand as she offered it. "I thought you'd heard me calling out to you…"

"Hehe, yeah… Guess I was a bit zoned out…" Mei said with a sheepish chuckle. "You sure you're okay? I uh… I kinda threw you hard…"

"Eh… Komui's experiments have done worse." He said brushing his lab coat off. "I came to escort you back to HQ."

"Huh? Don't the Finders usually do that?" Mei asked.

"Yeah, but I was in town anyway and thought since I was already over this way I'd just escort you back myself." Reever explained with a blase shrug. "You want help with your bag?"

"Oh, no thanks. There's not much in it so it's not very heavy." Mei replied with a smile before walking alongside him. "So, what has my… Wonderful big brother been up to while I've been gone?"

"Eh, the usual. Fawning over Lenalee, terrifying the new recruit, ignoring his paperwork." Reever droned walking alongside Mei.

"Yeah, that sounds like Ko- Wait! New recruit!?" Mei asked stopping in her tracks and staring up at Reever. "When did we get a newbie!?"

"Huh? Oh! That's right, you and General Tiedoll weren't told about Allen." Reever said realizing just how long Mei had been away. "Allen Walker, he was General Cross's only apprentice. Showed up at the Order HQ about a month ago after Cross sent him our way. He's a great kid, real helpful. Oh, and he and Kanda have met…"

"Oh no. Lemme guess, Kanda's winning people skills did all the talking?" Mei asked with an annoyed huff.

"Yup. As usual." Reever said leading her down the stairs to the Black Order's underground entrance. "Thankfully the two have been out on missions so often it's not too chaotic at home…"

"Thank god for that." Mei huffed. As they descended the stairs, she thought about her sister. Did she dare ask how Lenalee had been? Or should she wait until her arrival and ask her in person? Mri hadn't been very good with keeping in contact through the duration of her travels with Tiedoll, and she might be rather upset at that.

"You know… When you get all quiet like that, it's a little unnerving. Wanna talk about what's on your mind?" Reever asked nudging Mei with his elbow.

"Hm? Oh it's nothing. Just wondering if the General made it to his train or not." Mei bluffed with a laugh. "He has a tendency to get sidetracked."

"I see… Well, we're at the lift. Ladies first." Reever said holding a hand out to his side. Mei nodded and stepped onto the metal platform. She walked over to the railing and took hold of it while Reever worked the controls.

 _Komui… Lenalee… I'm home…_


End file.
